May 20 Friday – At the Villa Reale di Quarto near Florence Sam wrote to Susan Crane.
These are dismal weeks, dear aunt Sue, but the last one has been less so than its predecessors. The let-up of anxiety is a great refreshment to us. Clara says that day before yesterday Livy broke out into a momentary old-time hilarity—an astonishing thing, an echo of the long-buried past! It happened in Riverdale long ago, when she began to mend, & electrified us then with astonished joy. I hope it may mean a step toward recovery now, but I do not dare to expect it.
Still, I sieze this opportunity to tell you she is better while she is better. I am very very glad of one thing: she has come to have a splendid confidence in Dr. [G.W.] Kirch. / With great love to you all, …. [MTP].
A note in the DV245 file, MTP: “Traverso says, tell all our servants not to leave gate open after 8. Make note of date. May 20. / Notary to visit Countess at 9 a.m. to-morrow. If a document is to be signed, Celestino & Ugo must witness it. / He came (Mr. Caccia) with notary. Countess evaded.”
Another note in the file, undated but from this same period, ends with “I am not safe here—send me a small revolver & cartridges.”
Another note dated Friday, May 20: “At 2.30 this afternoon Jean said the gardener turned on the water to the garden-fountains where the fishes are. At the present writing (7.50 p.m) it is still squirting / SLC.” He then recorded it at 8.25, and at 6.30 am and 8 a.m. on the 21st . “Meantime the small wall-fossett in my bathroom up stairs is gone dry. No tooth-brush water. / She said she would drive us off the place” [DV245]